Plate glass transfer and turn-over apparatus



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Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PLATE GLASS TRANSFER AND TURN-OVERAPPARATUS Herman S. Heichert, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to PittsburghPlate Glass Company, a corpora tion of Pennsylvania.

Application November 22,1935, Serial No. 51,121

3 Claims.

The invention relates to transfer and turnover apparatus for use in agrinding and polishing system, such as that shown in the Fox Patent No.1,554,804, dated September 22, 1925, and

has for its object the provision of a simple apparatus which can beoperated rapidly to perform the desired function, and which can beemployed with a minimum of breakage and with a requirement of no specialskill on the part of the operator. The operation involving the use ofthe apparatus is briefly stated, as follows:

After a glass sheet has been ground on one side on one of the grindingand polishing lines, the table or car carrying it is returned to thestarting end of the line and the sheet is released from the table, andtransferred by a vacuum frame to a roller runway above the track onwhich the car or table is mounted. The turnover and transfer device thenlifts the sheet from the runway and moves it onto a second parallelroller runway lying above the track at the entrance end of the othergrinding and polishing line, the sheet being turned upside down duringsuch transfer. The sheet is now picked up by a vacuum frame and moved toposition over one of the cars on the track or line which lies beneaththe second roller runway, where it is bedded in plaster, making it readyfor the second grinding and p01 ishing operation. The construction andoperation will be clear from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is an end elevation atthe left hand end of the apparatus of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevationat the right hand end of the apparatus of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlargedsection on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1. And Fig. 5 is an end elevationshowing a modification of the apparatus of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, l and 2 are work tracks which extend beneaththe grinding and polishing lines, and 3 and 4 are two of the tables orcars on which the glass sheets, which have been ground and polished onone side, are

mounted. Located above the level of the work 5 tracks are a pair ofroller runways 5 and 6 made up of the series of rolls 1 and 8, which aresuitably driven, to carry the glass plates therealong, the rolls beingdriven so as to carry the sheets in the direction indicated by thearrows. These 50 rolls preferably consist of metal tubes 9 on which aremounted the discs ll] of rubber or fiber. The rolls are provided attheir ends with sprockets around which pass the chains H and I2 arrangedin three sets and driven from the motors I3, I3,

.55 I3 and l4, l4, I4, through the intermediary of reduction gearing inthe casings 1560, the drive being accomplished by sprockets havingdriving engagement with the chains II and i2.

Mounted above the track I in parallel there- 60 with is a track l5supported from a superstructure it on which rides a crane ll. This craneis suitably driven for moving it along the track 95 and is provided witha depending frame El a. Mounted for vertical movement in this frame is avacuum frame [8 provided with the 5 vacuum cups 19. This vacuum frameserves as a transfer means between the roller runway 5 and the tables 3.Mounted above the other work track 2 and similarly controlled andoperated is a vacuum frame I8a which is operated to remove the glasssheets from the table 4 and place them upon the roller runway 6.

In operation the tables 4 carrying the glass sheets which have beenground and polished on one side are brought to position opposite the end15 of the roller runway 6, and after the sheets have been released fromthe plaster in which they are embedded, they are lifted by the vacuumframe I81 and placed upon the roller runway ii, which serves to carrythem from the left hand end of 20 the runway to the right hand endthereof where they are received by the turnover frame, later describedand shown in Fig. 3, and transferred to the runway 5, such transferserving to turn them upside down. This runway 5 then carries the sheetsto its left hand end where they are picked up by the vacuum frame l8 andtransferred to the tables 3 where they are imbedded in plaster and thencarried to the left through the second grinding and polishing line. 30

The turnover apparatus for transferring the sheets from the runway 6 tothe runway 5 will be understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 3. The

turnover frame consists of a pipe shaft l9 extending longitudinally ofthe runways and provided with the pairs of arms 20 and 2|. The pipeshaft is mounted for rotation in suitable bearings 22, 22 carried bythebase members 23, 23 and a rotation of the frame is secured by meansof the motor 24 which drives a pinion 25 through the intermediary ofreduction gearing in the casing 26. The pinion 25 meshes with a spurgear 2! which is keyed to the pipe shaft E9. The frame is preferablycounterbalanced by means of weights 28 mounted on brackets 29 which arein turn secured to the pipe shaft E9. The pairs of arms 20 and 2| arespaced so that theyinterfit with the rollers l and 8 of the rollerrunways. This permits the arms to be moved to the position shown in Fig.3, so that the glass sheet to be transferred, which rests on the rollers8, may pass along the runway to the transfer position Withoutinterference from the lower arms 2!. After the sheet arrives in thisposition, the motor 24 is operated to swing the frame through an angleof 180 degrees and deposit it upon the rollers or runway 5, whichrollers then carry the sheet to the left (Fig. 1)' to the left hand endof the runway, where it may be engaged by the 60 vacuum frame is anddeposited upon one of the tables 3, as heretofore described.

In order to support the glass sheet in the transfer arms withoutscratching or injury, these arms are provided with the pairs of rubberrolls 30 mounted upon the pins 3|, as indicated in Fig. 4, such pinsextending through the arms 20 and 21, which are preferably in the formof rectangular tubes, as shown in Fig; 4. In order to engage the inneredge of the glass sheet during the turnover operation, the series ofrolls 32 are provided, such rolls being mounted upon the pins 33 andbeing formed of rubber to prevent injury to the edge of the sheet. Aftera sheet has been transferred from the runway 6 to the runway 5, as abovedescribed, the turnover frame is returned to the position shown in Figs.1 and 3, and another glass sheet is fed into position between the pairsof arms 29 and 2!. An apparatus of this kind has relatively largecapacity and may be easily operated to take care of the transfer of theglass sheets without the necessity of haste on the part of the operatorswhen the grinding and polishing lines are operating at a maximumcapacity. The turnover operation is also of such a character that thereis no danger of breakage or injury to the operators' To restate theoperation briefly in complete form, the tables or cars 4 are returned tothe entrance end of the work track 2 and the glass sheets loosened fromtheir bedding of plaster. The vacuum frame, 18a is now operated'to lifta glass sheet from the table 4 and place it upon the runway 6 whoserolls carry it to the right and between the pairs of arms 20 and 2| ofthe turnover frame. This turnover frame is now rotated about its axisthrough an angle of 180 degrees so that the glass sheet is depositedupon the rolls of the runway 5, which are rotated to carry the glasssheet to the left and thus release the turnover frameso that it may moveback to starting position. When the glass sheet upon the runway arrivesat the left hand end of the runway, the vacuum frame I8 is operated topick up the sheet and place it upon one of the tables 3 where it isbedded in plaster preliminary to carrying the table to the right throughthe grinding and polishing line, where the second side of the glass issurfaced in a manner well known in theart.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modification of the turnover device of Fig. 3. Inthis apparatus only one set of arms 34 is employed instead of the pairsof arms 26 and 2|. These arms carry the vacuum cups 35, which engage theupper surface of the glasssheet which is positioned on the roller runwaythereben-eath. After the vacuum cups have engaged the glass sheet, thearms 34 are rotated through an angle of 180 degrees, thus depositing thesheet upon the runway 5 in an upside down position. In order to permitthe placing of the sheet upon the runway 5, it is of course necessary toarrange the spacing of the arms 34 as heretofore described in connectionwith the arms 20 and 2! so that such arms fit down between the rolls ofthe runway 5; In other respects the construction and operation issimilar to that heretofore described in connection with the apparatus ofFig. 3, and similar numerals are employed. The apparatus of Fig. 3 ispreferred as compared with that of Fig. 5 since it is safer and betteradapted to handle sheets of varying sizes.

What I claim is: I 1. In glass sheet turnover and transfer apparatus fora grinding and polishing system com prising a pair of parallel worktracks carrying cars on which the glass sheets are ground and polished,a pair of roller runways lying above the Work tracks in paralleltherewith, overhead vacuum lifting means for transferring the sheetsbetween the tables of each line and the roller runway lying thereabove,a turnover and transfer frame having its axis of rotation intermediatethe runways in parallel with the center lines thereof and atapproximately the level of the runways and comprising a series ofparallel arms spaced to interfit between the rolls of the runways andadapted to pick up a glass sheet from one runway, swing it through anangle of 180 degrees and deposit it upside down on the rolls of theother runway, and means for driving the rolls of the runways so that therolls of one runway carry the glass sheets toward the turnover andtransfer frame and the rolls of the other runway carry the sheets awayfrom such frame.

2. In glass sheet turnover and transfer apparatus for a grinding andpolishing system comprising a pair of parallel work tracks carrying carson which the glass sheets are ground and polished, a pair of rollerrunways lying above the work tracks in parallel therewith, overheadvacuum lifting means for transferring the sheets between the tables ofeach line and the roller runway lying thereabove, a turnover andtransfer frame having its axis of rotation intermediate the runways inparallel with the center lines thereof and at approximately the level ofthe runways and comprising a series of pairs of parallel arms having the-members of each pair closely adjacent but spaced apart, such pairs ofarms being spaced longitudinally as the axis of rotation of the frame soas to interfit between the rolls of the runways and adapted to receive asheet of glass on one runway and swing through an angle of 180 degreesto deposit the sheet on the. rolls of the other runway, and means fordriving the rolls of the runways so that the rolls of one runway carrythe glass sheets toward the turnover and transfer frame and the rolls ofthe other runway carry the sheets away from such frame.

3. In glass sheet turnover and transfer apparatus for a grinding andpolishing system comprising a pair of parallel work tracks carrying carson which the glass sheets are ground and polished, a pair of rollerrunways lying above the work tracks in parallel therewith, overheadvacuum lifting means for transferring the sheets between the tables ofeach line and the roller runway lying thereabove, a turnover andtransfer frame having its axis of rotation intermediate -the runwaysinparallel with the center lines thereof and at approximately the level ofthe runways and comprising a series of parallel arms spaced to interfitbetween the rolls of the runways and provided on one side with a seriesof that the rolls of one runway carry the glass sheets toward theturnover and transfer frame and the rolls of the other runway carry thesheets away from such frame.

HERMAN S. HEICHERT.

